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Re: [RC] Heat and Conditioning - heidiAnother question, what about electrolytes? I know some of you are for and some against. I'm not sure how to tell if my mare needs them, when to use them on conditioning rides etc. At this time, I'm just adding table salt into her twice daily mash. I haven't ever electrolyted her at all (of course we haven't competed yet either). She's a good drinker, will drink out of the mud puddles if I let her. No, no, no, it isn't about "for" or "against"--it is about learning your horse's individual needs and not just shoving them down there without first figuring out how that individual works. Elyte needs are all over the map. I admittedly try hard to SELECT horses that don't need elytes because they are efficient with what they get, they eat like pigs, and they drink well. And the times I've "run the numbers" at rides, it's been clear that these particular individuals are doing just fine. They go into exercise with a gutful of grass hay (which is chockful of lytes) and water, and work off that like a camel! By the same token, some horses DO need lots of elytes--they are apparently less efficient with what they lose in sweat, or they don't eat as well, or it takes more to trigger their thirst response, or whatever, or all of the above. But if you just shove them in willy-nilly without figuring out first where your horse is on the scale, so to speak, you may actually hurt more than you help. The more fit she gets, the less she sweats also. With the dry windy heat we have, not sure if it's just drying faster than I realize. Probably the latter. Anyway, I just want some feed back on how/when/how much I should start her on to see how she reacts. Is she eating well? Drinking well? Has good gut sounds? Good recoveries? Lots of energy? Maybe she doesn't need them. If, OTOH, she has less than optimal energy in the heat, doesn't pork out on forages, and doesn't drink well, then you have to start experimenting. Not as hot here as what you have, by any means, but it was way hot for us at Purple Passion this past weekend compared to what we're used to (we had ice on the water at home several mornings the week before), and our "nawthern" horses from high elevations still have part of their winter jammies left. (And no, I'm not gonna clip, since I have to come home again after the ride, and the weatherman said something about snow later this week...) This past weekend I rode a neat little horse that my hubby has been riding--he is built like a radiator, and although he doesn't eat as rapidly as I'd like, he is a persistent eater (had to haul his nose out of the food at the last two checks to bridle up) and he drank like a big suction hose all day long. It was culture shock for him, because he did his first 75--but he was forward and eager the whole ride. He was not gaunted up afterward, and he wasn't particularly interested in the free-choice loose salt mix that was in his portable corral. Am I gonna "experiment" with lytes on this horse? Heck, no! See how your horse does, and look for signs that she needs them. If she does, start introducing some. If she is doing everything right without them, don't do it just because everyone else is doing it. It takes three seasons to "make" a horse--you shouldn't be going fast enough in the initial stages to be pushing the envelope on lytes anyway, at least not for most horses. Heidi ============================================================ Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough ~ Theodore Roosevelt ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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